• Add comment

    Unless you’re starring in a sitcom, you probably wouldn’t try to hammer a nail with the heel of your shoe. As any skilled craftsman would attest, you’ve got to have the right tool for the job. In your business, make sure you're using the right tool for the job of managing contacts. 

    If you’re debating the use of an iPhone contact manager app versus the native iPhone Contacts app, consider the following reasons to make the switch:

    5. Details Make the Difference
    Reviewing a prospective client's record for applicable details can set you apart from the sea of competitors. Remembering facts about their company or even their family, reviewing the outcome of your last meeting, or referring to a small tidbit from a previous conversation just might help you seal the deal. Little things don't mean a lot; they mean everything!

    4. Time Is Money
    In spite of all the time-saving technologies, we could all use more time.  An iPhone contact manager app saves you time by integrating your contacts with your calls, meetings, and to-dos.  Don’t just add a calendar event and manually note whom you’re meeting. Use a contact manager that creates a log of each event on that contact’s record. Save time and make more effective use of the time you’re already devoting to scheduling, preparing, and following-up after your calls, meetings, and to-dos.

    3. Introductions Can Be Awkward
    Ever introduced one contact to another and drawn a complete blank when it came time to provide relevant information? With a contact manager you can make valuable introductions based not only on what you remember but with the most relevant details for the introduction at hand. A contact manager application that lets you sort based on user-defined criteria is even better when it comes to providing value to your contacts by extending your network to theirs. 

    2. Contacts Have a Preferred Method of Communication
    Contact management gives you easy-to-use contact methods for the communication method preferences of the people with whom you do business. Whether it's Twitter, email, Facebook, LinkedIn, or text message, a good contact manager will help you get the message to the right person in the best way. Email might be your preferred form of communication, but an unread email in an inbox isn’t doing anyone any goodespecially if that same contact is waiting for your text message.

    1. You Want More Business
    Speed, a sharp memory, and attention to detail are all extremely important tools for expanding your business in today’s fast-paced world. Forge meaningful and lasting business relationships by focusing time and effort in the right places. Don't overlook the existing leads in your contact list that are just waiting for you to reach out. Recording the interests of your contacts helps you capitalize on the connections you've already created. And wouldn't we all like more business? 

    Which is the right tool for your business? The right contact management app can mean the difference between a masterpiece and a mishap!

  • Add comment

    Fortune magazine’s May 23 issue includes an interesting article about Bill Daley, member of the iconic Chicago Daley clan and currently President Obama’s Chief of Staff. The piece focuses on the value of relationships—not the “everybody-knows-everything” aspects but the value of developing a personal network. Daly states, "I've always thought politics was about relationships and people. It's about engaging people, listening to them, understanding what motivates them."

    I agree. In fact, I’d venture to say that no other public forum relies more on the power of, and the need for, deeply developed personal relationships than politics. Despite anyone’s opinion of politicians, one thing is certain—without their personal networks, their influence would be minimal.

    But isn’t that so in any business? Whether you’re a politician or a professional, you need more than a social network.

    The interactions leading up to that “magical handshake” often occur behind the scenes, not on social media platforms. Converting contacts from your social network to your personal network creates the momentum that leads to lasting value. Better still, capitalizing on the orbital, or extended, networks of those in your personal network allows you to extend your reach beyond those whom you know to those whom you need to know…and those who stand to benefit from an awareness of you and what you have to offer.

    By discovering common connections, you develop deeper bonds. But it’s organized, disciplined contact management that helps you make the most of the details you learn about people. In any field, those little details don’t mean a lot—they mean everything!

    Bill Daley understands the importance of building and maintaining a personal network. He has painstakingly and determinedly developed relationships that matter.  When needed, it’s those relationships that get results. In his case, it took him all the way to the White House and the President’s inner circle.

    Daley also adds that while relationships have their limitations, “…if there is a personal relationship, there is a comfort that if you say you’ll do A, B, and C, you’ll do it.”

    In the Oval Office or your corner office, relationships matter. Look for opportunities to reach out to the people in your network—and the people in their networks—in ways that offer true value to others. Offer to make introductions and connections for those in your orbits of influence. Record the details that could prove valuable later. Make your personal networks, well, personal.

    I find it interesting that at the end of the day, it comes down to the strength and reach of one’s REAL personal network. Not the size of one’s social media presence. What does that tell you?

  • Add comment

    Implement successful mobile contact management from your very first tap!

    Whether you're new to VIPorbit or just want to learn about some of the features you haven't tried, look no further than the new QuickStart Guide. From importing your data to customizing user defined fields, this 36-page guide walks you through the steps necessary to get the most out of your VIPorbit iPhone contact manager app. It was written for users by VIPorbit user Bas Reichgelt.

    Click the image below to download.

    Contents include:

    Activities:  Scheduling and Conflict Checking
    Backup My Stuff
    Calendar Preferences
    Calendar Views
    Contact Detail Menu and Screens
    Reports, Import, and Export
    User Defined Fields
    ...Plus, an "Additional Resources" Section

    Your personal network will only be as valuable as you are diligent about maintaining it, but this QuickStart Guide will help you get off on the right track.

     

    Remember to visit our support page for a full list of FAQs.

  • Add comment

    Help us spread the word about VIPorbit the iPhone contact manager app, and you could win a Bose Bluetooth headset!

    It's simple, follow us on Twitter (@viporbit), and retweet about the contest for your chance to win! 

    Click here to enter.

    Bose® Bluetooth® Headset
    The Bose Bluetooth headset lets you hear and be heard, for clear conversation even in noisy environments. Bose technologies keep voices above surrounding noise, at both ends of your call. The StayHear tip offers comfortable stability without an ear hook.

    Promo Rules
    To enter this Sweepstakes, you must be a follower of @viporbit on Twitter.com. The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) one Bose Bluetooth Headset with a retail value of $150. If you are chosen, you will be notified via Twitter. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.

    Entries for the Bose Bluetooth Headset can be submitted until August 31, 2011 at 12 p.m. noon PT. Sweepstakes ends 11:59:59 p.m. PT on August 31, 2011 (the “Promotion Period”).

    About VIPorbit
    VIPorbit is the only full-featured mobile relationship manager designed for the iPhone. From the co-inventor of ACT!, it provides business people with an affordable, easy-to-use anytime, anywhere solution that allows them to deal with more people more effectively, elevating the value of their relationships.

  • Add comment

    I recently watched an interesting video of an interview with Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, in which he made the following statement, “Every person today is a business, so the question is…‘How are you handling it?’”

    I couldn’t agree more. His statement strikes at the heart of what each of us do every day—juggle a variety of relationships and interactions. Undoubtedly, you see yourself doing business, but do you see yourself as a business—or a brand—within your respective field? And further, are you effectively managing your personal brand?

    If you understand the need to manage yourself as a business, then you probably understand how crucial it is to develop sustainability by providing value to others. It comes down to the quality of your relationships, not the quantity of connections you’ve made. It’s not only about the follow-up but also the follow-through when it comes to finding, keeping, and satisfying those we deal with on a business level.

    In the process of managing your personal business brand, you’ll find it’s not just “who you know,” but often, it’s what you know about others that helps you land a job, sell an idea, or seal a deal.

    We can connect with more people than ever before, but our old methods of remembering important details are inefficient at best, ineffective at worst. Consider the discipline and competence successful professionals demonstrate. Too many people fail to apply that same discipline to the relationship-centric aspects of their personal business. And that disconnect is often the difference between success and failure.

    The crux of the problem then is implementing the right tools to manage your relationships. Failing to do so is mismanagement of you as a business.

    Bottom line? You have a choice:  stay the same or improve. What’s it gonna be?

  • VIPorbit Best part of #SXSW so far? Our friend @pelpina stopping by to interview @MikeMuhney! t.co/khyaqnWmjf
    9 hours 31 min ago.

News & Special Offers